Dr. Xue Ye is a person who enjoys continuous experimentation and challenges. She has played women’s basketball, formed a band, attempted entrepreneurship, and worked with robotics. “I believe life is short, so it must be exciting. That’s why I love challenging myself, breaking boundaries, and enriching my life experiences.”

Currently, Dr. Xue serves as a research scientist at the Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in communication engineering from Southeast University in 2017 and earned her Ph.D. from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2022. She joined the Shenzhen Big Data Research Institute that same year. Dr. Xue focuses on research in the interdisciplinary fields of non-convex optimization, machine learning, and communication networks, having published over ten academic papers as the first author in high-level international journals and conferences in artificial intelligence and wireless communications. She leads a project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars and participates as a key member in the National Key R&D Program.

Inspired by her mother during her undergraduate years, Dr. Xue recognized that university is not only a place for learning but also a stage for developing self-awareness. As a result, she tried various activities: she joined an entrepreneurial team to address the unmet demand for formal wear among university students; she formed a band called “Unlimited Band,” serving as the keyboardist and performing in her department; and she participated in the RoboCup robotics team, where she was responsible for the power module and helped the team win the national runner-up position. These diverse experiences enriched Dr. Xue’s understanding of the world and shaped her unique insights.

However, it was an unexpected opportunity that truly motivated her to pursue research.

In her junior year of university, Dr. Xue participated in an FPGA project. “I encountered timing errors while synthesizing on my computer, but when I downloaded the project to someone else’s computer, it worked smoothly. At that moment, I found it fascinating.” She also realized that she had no knowledge of the underlying principles and could not control the outcomes. This experience deepened her desire to study theoretical knowledge and understand the operating principles behind communication electronic systems, gradually leading her into the field of algorithm design and theoretical research.

Dr. Xue admits, “I didn’t initially set out to do research; I just gradually fell in love with it, much like Zhang Wuji learning from various masters along the way.” She believes that research is a pursuit that allows one to find their life’s value. “In research, you face problems that seem unsolvable and continuously seek solutions through intellectual engagement, giving you a feeling of survival against the odds.” The sense of accomplishment that comes from the research process and the inherent value of research provide her with a higher level of spiritual fulfillment. She draws a parallel to Steve Jobs, who said, “I hope that one day, when the next Aristotle appears, we can use a computer to capture Aristotle’s essential intelligence.” She hopes her research will contribute to the practical implementation of cutting-edge results in related fields, bringing high technology into every household and benefiting the general public.

Dr. Xue is currently focused on using sparse optimization techniques to develop localized statistical modeling for channels optimized for 5G networks. This aims to enable automatic network tuning, reduce tuning costs, and enhance network performance. Recently, she has led a project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation titled “Channel Digital Twin Modeling Methods and Applications for Wireless Network Optimization.” The project utilizes the effective characterization capabilities of graph neural networks for non-Euclidean data to improve the performance of traditional sparse optimization methods, allowing for a more accurate description of the localized statistical characteristics of channels.

After joining the research institute, Dr. Xue found a very good atmosphere for equal communication. She feels that the institute has minimal hierarchical differentiation and no significant status gap; whether they are research partners or functional colleagues, everyone possesses a strong sense of responsibility. “When we apply for national key R&D projects, regardless of titles or ranks, teachers and students share takeout meals and stay up late discussing problems together. We work hard as a team to overcome challenges and contribute to the completion of the project.” She believes that the institute has a very pragmatic atmosphere, making research there a deeply immersive experience.

In her spare time, Dr. Xue enjoys hiking and meditation. She likens hiking to the research process, where the winding paths represent the long journey of scientific inquiry, full of both uphill and downhill challenges, making it hard to know when one will reach the summit. Meditation helps her clear her mind, find her inner anchor, and maintain focus.

To students about to embark on their research journeys, she encourages them to stick to their beliefs and face challenges bravely. She believes that with confidence, anything is achievable. The more pitfalls one encounters, the more experience one gains.

For Dr. Xue, doing research is like leveling up and defeating monsters in a game. She is fully energized, ready to forge ahead, and prepared to create breakthroughs in the field of wireless communications through her diligent study and exploration.